Jul 14, 2006

Southeast Greenhouse Conference, A SuccessSource: Southeast Greenhouse Conference

More than 2,800 growers and industry representatives attended the 14th Annual Southeast Greenhouse Conference (SGC) in Greenville, S.C., June 21-24, 2006. The conference is the largest educational conference and trade show in the South focused on the greenhouse grower and “color” industry, according to SGC. Attendees visited more than 400 booths in the 80,000 sq.ft. trade show that offered the latest and most-technically advanced equipment and services available.

A new feature of the conference was the 2006 Container Garden contest with 42 entries. Growers and retailers attending received the plant recipe from each of the entries and viewed some of the most creative container gardens in the southeast.

According to Terri Cantwell, chair of the SGC Board, “The 2006 Southeast Greenhouse Conference was a tremendous success. Tours, workshops, educational sessions, new varieties and trade show networking — all were available during the 3-day event. The mission of the SGC is to enhance the profitability of the floriculture industry by providing a high-quality educational program and trade show. This year we saw a 7-percent increase in grower attendance for our educational programs. Those numbers say to us 2006 was certainly on target to meet our mission.”

Cantwell continued, “Immediate feedback from growers attending the conference said they were extremely pleased with the networking and educational opportunities they had in sharing experiences with other growers. In conversations with exhibitors, they were very pleased with the trade show traffic and anticipated future sales due to the large number of ‘decision makers’ walking the trade show floor. SGC’s goal is to bring to our show those attendees who manage their businesses or have input into the buying decisions for those products on display in our trade show.”

The dates for the 2007 Southeast Greenhouse Conference are June 20-23, at the Palmetto Expo Center in Greenville, S.C.